Fire sprinkler systems built according to the standard for the installation of sprinkler systems in one and two family dwellings and manufactured homes require a dependable water supply. It is often the case that the normal water supply line from a water well or from a city or community water system lacks an adequate volume of flow, pressure, or both to satisfy the demand requirement of a residential fire sprinkler system designed to meet the requirements of the NFPA-13d standard.
If the “normal” water supply is not sufficient, the standard NFPA-13d allows the installation of an adequately sized water storage tank and pump. The code does not specify the type of pump or address the nature or construction of the electrical supply or the electrical controls pertaining to the reliable automatic operation of the pump in its role of being the sole source of water pressure and quantity to the fire sprinkler system. Furthermore, the code does not specifically address the requirements for the storage tank except that it must contain enough water to satisfy the maximum sprinkler demand for a minimum of 10 minutes in most installations and 7 minutes in others.
A typical pump installation for a conventional residential sprinkler system conforming to the NFPA-13d standard consists of a commercial quality close coupled centrifugal pump installed by a residential fire sprinkler contractor. Conventional residential fire sprinkler pump systems are often haphazard, unwieldy and usually fail to provide any protective measures to prevent rapid start/stop cycling of the pump and motor caused by hydraulic pulsing in the sprinkler piping.
Furthermore, polyethylene water storage tanks commonly available and installed in residential fire sprinkler systems have been designed for general purposes and not specifically for installation in residential structures where floor space is at a premium. Additionally, many codes require electrical components to be located above floor grade, resulting in many pumps having to be located upon some kind of fabricated steel stand. Additionally, the pump is located next to the storage tank requiring additional floor space to be allocated to the installation. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/046,511, filed on Mar. 11, 2011, entitled “FLUID STORAGE AND PUMPING ASSEMBLY FOR FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,032, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/109,674, filed on Dec. 17, 2013, entitled “FLUID STORAGE AND PUMPING ASSEMBLY FOR FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,069, of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, disclose a fluid storage and pumping assembling for fire prevention and protection, which addresses shortcomings of some polyethylene water storage tanks installed in some residential fire sprinkler systems.